For Superhighway Late Starters

Deluged by dotcom ads on TV, Diane Arbutis' 75-year-old mother wanted the Web and e-mail, but she didn't want a computer. "She has no place to put a complete PC system and doesn't want to buy another piece of furniture," Arbutis says. "And she's leery of spending a lot of money on something she doesn't know or understand." She could try the route to the info superhighway that a lot of curious but cautious seniors are taking: Internet appliances, like the three shown below. Smaller than PCs and easier to use, these devices provide e-mail and basic Web surfing for less money--and without the hassle that is keeping many greatest-generation types offline.

E-MAIL, MOST ANYWHERE MailStation ($99, $9.95 a month), from Cidco Inc., based in Morgan Hill, Calif., is the size of a hardcover tome and very portable, with a small but readable flip-up screen. The company provides access with local dial-ups from most U.S. cities, but only e-mail is available--no surfing. Like nearly every other Internet appliance, Cidco commits you to its own Internet service when you buy the device.

CALL IT MINI-PC The i-Opener ($99, $21.95 a month), from Netpliance Inc., looks like a tiny PC, with a sleek flat-panel screen, attached keyboard and 56K modem for Web access and e-mail. Surfing may be sluggish at 200 MHz, and the browser may gag on fancier websites. But for folks with limited needs, it's like a Yugo: for the money, it's an adequate way to get where you want to go.

READY, SET, SET-TOP TVemail ($79.95, $9.95 a month) goes even further to solve the "footprint" problem that many seniors have when it comes to putting something new in their home. It's a small, paperback-size black box that sits on top of the TV and comes with a curvaceous wireless keyboard. No Web access, though maker eNote.com will send news, scores and weather reports to users over e-mail.